I’m pleased to announce that Richard Aragon is the new director of the Institute's Division of Data Integration, Modeling, and Analytics (DIMA). He has been acting director of DIMA since January 2020.

Richard has ably led NIGMS’ strategic planning and evaluation activities and has served as our Congressional liaison since joining us in 2014 as chief of what was then our Office of Program Planning, Analysis, and Evaluation. In this role, he has evolved and expanded our capabilities to include predictive analytics, budget and fiscal modeling, and the use of artificial intelligence to enhance business processes. As we prepare to the launch the NIGMS 2021-2025 Strategic Plan this spring, Richard’s extensive expertise in spearheading these activities makes him the ideal candidate to lead this critical component of the Institute.

Prior to NIGMS, Aragon held two positions in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources within the Office of the HHS Secretary: directing the Division of Program Integrity Assessment, Integration, and Oversight and the Division of Outreach, Communications, and Training. Before that, he was a program director in the Office of Technology and Industrial Relations at the National Cancer Institute.

For more about Richard, see our news announcement. Please join me in congratulating him on his new position within the Institute.